Ken Block's New Ride Is A Retro Ford Cosworth RS Rally Car

We can't wait to see Ken Block torture the tires of this vintage Ford Escort Cosworth RS rally car.

After nearly killing himself at Pikes Peak in a modified vintage Ford Mustang with 1,400 hp on tap, Ken Block has unveiled his latest Hoonigan race car project: a retro 1991 Ford Escort Cosworth Rally Car, complete with “period-correct” 1990s WRC specification: a fitting ode to his rallying career following his departure from the FIA World Rallycross this month. Originally built for Group A regulations, under the hood lies a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine derived from a 1997 WRC rally car upgraded to deliver 400 hp and 405 lb-ft of torque.

Mated to a seven-speed sequential gearbox, the steel engine block has been replaced by a lighter alloy block and additional updates help to extract more powerful. The suspension has different setups for gravel and tarmac use, combined with 18-inch wheels wrapped in Toyo tires and WRC-spec brakes. Inside the stripped-out interior is a multitude of switches, buttons and fuses that would normally be replaced by a single computer screen in a modern rally car. It also features a massive rear whale wing and a side-exit exhaust which were signature design traits of 1990s Ford RS Cosworth models.

The exterior looks surprisingly subtle, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it gets finished with a brash livery in-line with other Hoonigan Racing Division projects. Block will be putting his retro rally car through its paces next year tackling some “fun stage rallies and other projects,” and a photo posted on shows it smoking its Toyo tires so it already has Block’s seal of approval. We can’t wait to see Block’s Escort Cosworth RS get its tires tortured in an upcoming mobile drift video before making its racing debut next year.